Post by Banjo on Oct 26, 2011 7:01:03 GMT 7
Centrelink suspends payments for parents not sending children to school
CENTRELINK suspensions for parents failing to send children to school are snowballing in some of the state's poorest communities as the battle to improve student attendance continues.
The Courier-Mail can reveal more than 80,000 state school students attended less than 85 per cent of school last year.
For about 22,500 students those absences were unauthorised or unexplained.
The battle over student attendance is set to become an election issue, with the State Opposition flagging it as one of its key education platforms.
Opposition education spokesman Bruce Flegg has accused the Bligh Government of not doing enough on the issue.
It comes despite dozens of initiatives aimed at boosting attendance including a joint federal and state trial under which parents' Centrelink payments can be suspended if they fail to heed attendance warnings.
Figures released by the Federal Government show 62 parents across the Logan area, Doomadgee and Mornington Island had payments suspended from April 29 to August 26 this year.
That compares with 45 parents in the first 11 months of the trial.
The measure is one of two focused on the Logan area, where schools have also received almost $9 million under a separate Every Child Counts project.
Statewide, the Bligh Government released an Every Day Counts campaign in 2008, with former education minister Rod Welford warning the then average student attendance rate of 92 per cent would be having "a detrimental impact" on student education. Last year the rate was 91 per cent.
The 2011 attendance rates, which are based on Semester 1 only, are set to be released over the coming month.
Dr Flegg said the Government was failing to take the issue seriously enough by not measuring the number of students with full attendance and failing to properly follow up those suspended and expelled.
Education Queensland deputy director-general Lyn McKenzie said initiatives had been introduced to boost attendance, including the welfare trial, designated attendance officers, breakfast and before-school programs, mini-buses taking pupils to school, reward programs, electronic attendance systems, flexible school arrangements and follow-up calls to parents/carers.
www.news.com.au/parents-pay-for-wags/story-e6freon6-1226176658447?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+newscomauqldndm+%28NEWS.com.au+|+Queensland%29
CENTRELINK suspensions for parents failing to send children to school are snowballing in some of the state's poorest communities as the battle to improve student attendance continues.
The Courier-Mail can reveal more than 80,000 state school students attended less than 85 per cent of school last year.
For about 22,500 students those absences were unauthorised or unexplained.
The battle over student attendance is set to become an election issue, with the State Opposition flagging it as one of its key education platforms.
Opposition education spokesman Bruce Flegg has accused the Bligh Government of not doing enough on the issue.
It comes despite dozens of initiatives aimed at boosting attendance including a joint federal and state trial under which parents' Centrelink payments can be suspended if they fail to heed attendance warnings.
Figures released by the Federal Government show 62 parents across the Logan area, Doomadgee and Mornington Island had payments suspended from April 29 to August 26 this year.
That compares with 45 parents in the first 11 months of the trial.
The measure is one of two focused on the Logan area, where schools have also received almost $9 million under a separate Every Child Counts project.
Statewide, the Bligh Government released an Every Day Counts campaign in 2008, with former education minister Rod Welford warning the then average student attendance rate of 92 per cent would be having "a detrimental impact" on student education. Last year the rate was 91 per cent.
The 2011 attendance rates, which are based on Semester 1 only, are set to be released over the coming month.
Dr Flegg said the Government was failing to take the issue seriously enough by not measuring the number of students with full attendance and failing to properly follow up those suspended and expelled.
Education Queensland deputy director-general Lyn McKenzie said initiatives had been introduced to boost attendance, including the welfare trial, designated attendance officers, breakfast and before-school programs, mini-buses taking pupils to school, reward programs, electronic attendance systems, flexible school arrangements and follow-up calls to parents/carers.
www.news.com.au/parents-pay-for-wags/story-e6freon6-1226176658447?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+newscomauqldndm+%28NEWS.com.au+|+Queensland%29